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Michael Bisping has issued a hilarious response to Leon Edwards after ‘Rocky’ joked about becoming the first UFC champion from the UK.
Bisping has lived in California, USA, for the past several years but originally hails from the UK. The former UFC middleweight champion is the first UK fighter to win a UFC title.
He retired from MMA in 2018 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019. 'The Count' has gradually established himself as a reputable MMA analyst.
Speaking of which, Bisping was part of a BT Sport UFC promotional segment that previewed the upcoming UFC London event. One of the guests on the segment was Edwards.
The UFC welterweight notably addressed his highly-anticipated rematch against Kamaru Usman and the possibility of winning a UFC title. Thus far, Bisping is the only UK fighter who’s captured UFC gold. On that note, speaking about himself, Edwards jestingly stated:
“The first one to do it from the UK,” ‘Rocky’ smiled. And addressing Bisping, he added, “The second…” Edwards burst out laughing midway through the joke, as did Bisping and the other BT Sport analysts present on set.
Michael Bisping proceeded to allude to the fact that he’s the UK’s first-ever UFC champion. Edwards concurred and acknowledged that ‘The Count’ does indeed hold that distinction. Furthermore, Bisping hilariously said:
“You’re dead to me. You’re dead to me.” Meanwhile, Edwards reiterated, “He’s the first guy from the UK. So, I’ll be the second. And I’m looking forward to it.”
Watch the hilarious interaction between Leon 'Rocky' Edwards and Michael Bisping below:
Michael Bisping on Leon Edwards’ rematch against Kamaru Usman
In a BT Sport video alongside Adam Catterall and Nick Peet, Michael Bisping addressed Leon Edwards’ rematch against UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman.
Their first fight witnessed ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ defeat Edwards via unanimous decision in December 2015. ‘Rocky’ is expected to face Usman in a rematch with the title at stake at UFC 276 on July 2nd.
Edwards has won 9 of his last 10 fights – with 1 no contest – since the loss to Usman. Meanwhile, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is on a 19-fight win streak. Despite wanting his compatriot to win, Bisping insinuated that Usman is likelier to emerge victorious. ‘The Count’ said:
“Leon Edwards will go up against Kamaru Usman and he’ll probably get beat, but for the sake of this conversation, I’m gonna say Leon Edwards will be the champion [by the end of 2022] because I’m a dreamer! I’m a Brit, I believe in him! The hype is real. He’s there for a reason. He hasn’t been given this position, he has earned it!”
Watch the full video below:
